Chintan Raghuvanshi, a Deputy Director with the Enforcement Directorate (ED), has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a bribery case involving a Bhubaneswar-based businessman. According to the CBI’s First Information Report (FIR), Raghuvanshi initially demanded ₹5 crore to settle a money laundering case but eventually negotiated the bribe down to ₹2 crore.
The businessman, Ratikanta Rout, who operates a stone mining and crushing business in Dhenkanal, lodged a formal complaint with the CBI on May 28. His account reveals that he was first summoned by the ED’s Bhubaneswar office earlier in 2024, where he discovered a money laundering investigation had been initiated against him. ED officials also carried out raids at his premises on January 8, 2025.
Rout alleged that during a subsequent visit to the ED office in March, Raghuvanshi privately advised him to get in touch with a middleman named Bhaghti for “relief” in the case. It was through Bhaghti that the bribe demand was conveyed, starting at ₹5 crore. The amount was later reduced to ₹2 crore after a FaceTime conversation with Raghuvanshi. Rout stated that he was instructed to pay ₹50 lakh as the first instalment in exchange for avoiding arrest.
Following this complaint, the CBI laid a trap and apprehended Raghuvanshi during the act. Raghuvanshi is a 2013 batch officer of the Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Indirect Taxes).
ED officials have confirmed that departmental disciplinary proceedings will be initiated against Raghuvanshi. Furthermore, if the CBI investigation uncovers a pattern of similar conduct, the ED may launch its own probe under money laundering laws.
